Abstract

The expansion of digital communication technologies has transformed the ways in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and other sexual and gender minority communities construct, negotiate and communicate their identities. In contemporary India, social media platforms have emerged as important spaces for queer self-expression, community formation, political mobilisation, identity exploration and resistance against heteronormative social structures. However, the apparent democratisation of digital visibility conceals a more complex relationship between technological infrastructures, algorithmic governance and unequal social recognition. This paper critically examines how algorithmic systems influence LGBTQIA+ representation and queer identity construction in India's increasingly platform-mediated public sphere. It argues that digital visibility is neither neutral nor universally empowering; rather, it is selectively produced through platform recommendation systems, content moderation policies, commercial priorities, data extraction and socially embedded inequalities.

Drawing upon Stuart Hall's theory of representation, Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity, Kimberlé Crenshaw's intersectionality and critical scholarship on platform power and algorithmic governance, the paper develops an integrated conceptual framework of Algorithmic Queer Visibility. It identifies five interconnected dimensions: algorithmic discoverability, representational legitimacy, content moderation and suppression, intersectional digital inequality, and user agency and resistance. Particular attention is given to the intersections of caste, class, gender identity, sexuality, language, disability, religion and rural–urban location in shaping digital participation among LGBTQIA+ individuals in India.

Methodologically, the paper proposes an interpretive qualitative research design integrating semi-structured interviews, digital ethnography and critical discourse analysis. It also outlines an analytical strategy for examining how platform infrastructures influence identity performance, visibility, belonging and resistance. The paper argues that meaningful digital inclusion requires moving beyond numerical representation towards equitable visibility, participatory platform governance, culturally sensitive moderation and protection of queer digital autonomy. It contributes to digital sociology and queer studies by conceptualising algorithmic visibility as a mechanism through which contemporary systems of technological power participate in the construction and regulation of marginalised identities.